


The Night We Met

by orphan_account



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Explicit Language, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:00:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28358952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "Is anyone in here?" a voice calls. The tone is soft. It doesn't sound like a football player looks.Dream quickly pushes, and is eager to finish, out of curiosity, now. He zips up his pants and takes out his phone to text Sapnap: are any of your friends on their way to the restroom? and sends."Y-y-yeah," Dream manages to let out, "I-I'll be out in a sec.""Clay?" the voice asks, confused.Dream looks up, also in confusion and answers, "Yeah?"His phone dings, and is alarmed. He's relieved when he finds a simple: No? across his screen.He flushes the toilet and unlocks the door. He freezes when he's brought face to face with a boy his age."George?"
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound
Comments: 4
Kudos: 31





	1. Party

**Author's Note:**

> this is something i wanted to write inspired by the songs, in order, 'i met sarah in the bathroom' by awfultune, '1980s horror film' by wallows, and 'wish you were gay' by billie eilish. the boys are in higschool, Dream is a technology nerd, Sapnap is a popular kid, and George is the let-loose party guy. totally not anyone that they are irl lol. i have a general idea for this fic, and some things i might add are from a fic i wrote but deleted, because i felt i could've done better lol. anyway, enough of me, i hope you enjoy this, if anyone finds it aaand yeah :)<3

"I don't know Sapnap, you know I'm not really the 'party' type." Dream says, fingers racing across his keyboard.  
  
"C'mon dude, it's the weekend, I doubt you have any work that's _due_." Sapnap knows his friend often takes extra work when he's got nothing left to do.  
  
"You're right," Dream hesitates, seeking for an excuse. "I don't know, parties are loud, and you're the only person I'd know, anyway. You know everyone. Trust me, once you go you'll be glad I stayed."  
  
Sapnap frowns and his eyebrows narrow. His sympathy is shown through his evergreen eyes. Dream sees it when he looks up at him and immediately locks eyes with his computer screen again.  
  
"I'll be fine," he tries to convince.  
  
"Look," begins Sapnap, "I know you're not the _best_ at parties, but it's the day after the biggest win we've had! I want my best friend to be there to celebrate it with me."  
  
It was true, Sapnap, just the night before, had won his team the championship game. The team relies on him most, anyway, since he's the quarterback and makes most of the team's plays.  
  
"They're giving you the uh, the trophy, aren't they?" Dream asks, typing his last few bits of work and giving his full attention to Sapnap now.  
  
"Yeah, if they didn't I'd definitely be pissed," Sapnap lightly laughs.  
  
It would seem unfair, since Sapnap _always_ carried the team during games.  
  
 _'How does he do it?'_ Dream thinks.  
  
"So, you'll come?" Sapnap pleads, wincing his eyes, aware he's making a stretched statement.  
  
Dream rolls his eyes, shrugs his shoulders, and sighs, "I've got nothing better to do."  
  
Sapnap cheers as he heads out the door.  
  
"I'll pick you up at 10:30!" he shouts from his opened car door.  
  
"What should I wear?" Dream asks.  
  
"Something cool!" He drives off.

-

"Okay, I'm here, pulling into your driveway," Sapnap informs Dream on call.  
  
"Dude, what? No! My mom-"  
  
"Clay, sweetie!?" Dream's mom calls from downstairs.  
  
Dream closes his eyes and sighs.  
  
"I'll be right there," he whispers to Sapnap, and hangs up. "Coming mom!"  
  
As his feet quickly patter down the stairs, Patches meows to him from the bed they were just cuddling in.  
  
"I'll see you later baby!" he whispers again, and stops to wave to her.  
  
"Who's that?" Dream's mom asks, as Sapnap's blinding headlights beam through the dim candle-lit living room.  
  
"It smells nice in here," Dream distracts. "Vanilla and berry?"  
  
His mom's eyebrow raises.  
  
"It's Sapnap," he admits.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"Just," he stops knowing he can't tell her the truth, "out."  
  
She hums and unlocks the door to ask Sapnap, "Where you boys going honey?"  
  
"Just a party, ma'am!" Sapnap reveals.  
  
 _Sapnap, you stupid big mouth._  
  
She looks back to Dream.  
  
"It's the day after his championship win," Dream guilts.  
  
"Will there be girls at this party?"  
  
"What?"  
  
His mom sighs, "It's late, Clay."  
  
"I know! I should've told you, I'm sorry," he's successful in sounding genuine. "I'll be back by...?"  
  
She gives him a long stare.  
  
"I'll give you until 2 in the morning," she suggests.  
  
Dream's jaw drops and his eyes widen.  
  
"Really?" he asks with surprise in his voice.  
  
"Really, go have fun. Don't be a downer." She laughs as she lightly pushes him out the door.  
  
"Thank you, I love you!" Dream smiles, and heads to his friend's matte black car.  
  
The door opens and shuts as Dream hops in the car. He greets his friend and places his seatbelt across his chest. He smiles.  
  
"Ready!"  
  
"Dude," Sapnap says, "your mom just called you a downer."  
  
"Shut up and drive," Dream says, placing his elbow on the door's handle frame and fingers on his temples. "Or I'm not going."  
  
"Okay, okay!" Sapnap backs out of the driveway and begins to drive off.

-

"Go," Sapnap ecourages, and gestures toward the door.  
  
Dream gulps and his hand's knuckles shakily meet the door's surface. Almost immediately, someone opens the door and welcomes the two boys into the noisy home. It's everything Dream expected it to be. Lots of drinks, lots of couples kissing, lots of _mess_.  
  
 _Not the mess._  
  
Dream is a freak when it comes to messes. He usually tries to clean up the one's he makes in his house as best as he can. Sort of a habit, he suspects, since his mom used to threaten him with taking away his electronics when he was younger.  
  
"Try not to notice it," Sapnap says, as he realizes his friend's nose scrunching and eyes staring.  
  
From there, Sapnap unites with his team and brings Dream along with him.  
  
"I don't really wanna go, Sapnap," Dream says, voice low and quivering.  
  
"I know, it's okay, see, I'll be here the whole time," Sapnap assures.  
  
Dream's stomach is uneasy. He can feel a firey feeling in his head. He's nauseated, and the smells of weed and liquor fill his nostrils and the raging music gets louder and louder with every step.  
  
"Is there a restroom?" Dream asks, and looks around the house. The gigantic house that he was almost sure, once he got away from Sapnap, he'd not be able to find him again. He was fine with that, though, he feels uncomfortable here anyway.  
  
"Yeah, come on," Sapnap answers, voice low and disappointed. He knows his friend doesn't usually handle these types of things well.  
  
Dream can see it. He's only weighing Sapnap down.  
  
"I suggested you leave me home and you declined."  
  
"I didn't say anything, you're okay. Do you want me to wait for you?" Sapnap asks.  
  
"You didn't say it but you were thinking it," Dream murmurs under his breath.  
  
"Hey," Sapnap begins, placing a hand on Dream's shoulder and getting close enough for him to hear over the roaring sounds. "I know you think you're holding me back, or killing the fun, or whatever else you can think in that gigantic ass head of yours. I'm happy you're here, okay? Truly. I appreciate you coming, even though I more really just dragged you here. Thank you, Dream."  
  
Dream is flushed with a warm feeling of reassurance. He's fully aware of Sapnap's appreciation for him. Sometimes he just thinks it'd be better for him not to follow along with Sapnap to some places, such as these.  
  
"You can go ahead," Dream finally answers, "I'll be fine on my own."  
  
Sapnap smiles to Dream. The mutual feeling of knowing they're probably not gonna see each other for a while sits in the empty space between them.  
  
"Call me, or text me, if you need anything, okay?" Sapnap asks.  
  
"Will do."  
  
"I'm serious," Sapnap's voice matching his sentence. Dream always knows when his friend is being genuine. He just hates having him worry about him as much as he does.  
  
Dream nods and walks inside of the large restroom. It was empty. The sound of his footsteps echo throughout the enclosed space. He's sure no one can hear him from in here.  
  
"I just need a minute to breathe," he says to himself.  
  
 _This is the only minute you're gonna get._  
  
He sighs and walks backwards, aware of the wall behind him, "True."  
  
His back flexes and he huffs to the coldness of the wall. Adjusting to it, he slowly slips down to sit on the floor. The bathroom was, surprisingly, the only place that _wasn't_ a mess. His knees raise and he places his forehead to rest on them.

-

After a while, the urge to urinate catches up to him. He forces himself to stand up and he walks into one of the stalls to do his business. As he unzips his pants, he hears someone open the door. Chills are sent down his spine and he panics. He hopes it isn't one of Sapnap's friends.  
  
"Is anyone in here?" a voice calls. The tone is soft. It doesn't sound like a football player looks.  
  
Dream quickly pushes, and is eager to finish, out of curiosity, now. He zips up his pants and takes out his phone to text Sapnap: _are any of your friends on their way to the restroom?_ and sends.  
  
"Y-y-yeah," Dream manages to let out, "I-I'll be out in a sec."  
  
"Clay?" the voice asks, confused.  
  
Dream looks up, also in confusion and answers, "Yeah?"  
  
His phone dings, and is alarmed. He's relieved when he finds a simple: _No?_ across his screen.  
  
He flushes the toilet and unlocks the door. He freezes when he's brought face to face with a boy his age.  
  
"George?"  
  
George. The boy from Dream's period 2 English class. Dream stops to witness him. His dark brown hair, that people often mistake to be black, but Dream knows it's brown. His chocolate brown eyes that he's now locked attention to, though they look a bit drooped and red.  
  
"Are you drunk?" Dream asks, concerned.  
  
"I don't like to drink much," George informs.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"Of course, just been smoking a bit. It's not done anything to me yet."  
  
"I think that's an understatement," Dream kids, and he turns the faucet on to wash his hands.  
  
"Wanna try?" George offers.  
  
"I'm not much of a smoker. Or a drinker. Or an anything, really."  
  
George laughs. Dream lightly chuckles to make extra noise.  
  
"I always like our interactions," George says, "You're a funny guy to hang out with."  
  
Dream clears his throat.  
  
"I also enjoy our encounters together."  
  
 _Dude, let loose._  
  
They've not hung out much, anyway. Dream's never seen George in this light. Drousy steps and idly pushing all his weight onto one wall.  
  
 _Guess there's a first time for everything?_  
  
Dream shrugs.  
  
"Hey," George starts, "I got a question."  
  
Dream expected it to be something on English homework, since that's usually what follows when someone asks him that question.   
  
"Go ahead."  
  
"Have you ever been kissed?"

That wasn't the question he thought he'd hear in that moment. Not even remotely close, actually. Silently, he continues to wash his hands, and walk to the towel dispenser to dry them.  
  
Usually, in this situation, Dream would make up a 'yes' answer. 'Yeah, only once, though', or 'Yeah, but I don't remember it all that well'. Not now, though. He felt safe with George. Especially because he was high out of his mind, and probably wouldn't remember his answer the next day.  
  
"No," Dream answers, "I've not."  
Quiet.  
"Have you?"  
  
"No."  
  
Dream nods. He wasn't quite aware of where this conversation was going. He doesn't want to stay and find out. He's anxious now, but not out of fear, just out of the silence resting between them. He heads for the door to get out of the restroom.  
  
"It's been nice talking to you," Dream says, reaching for the handle.  
  
Before Dream is able to turn around, George reaches for his arm. The difference in height made Dream sort of confident. They were close now. George's face close enough to Dream's chest so that Dream was able to feel the warmth of George's breath. They lock eyes. For a moment the deafening sounds from beyond the doorway go silent.  
  
"Can I kiss you?" George asks, voice low and genuine.  
  
"What?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Wait, what did you say?" Dream wasn't able to tell if he'd imagined the sentence out of George's throat or not.  
  
"It was only a question," George rubs his own arm and begins to back away from Dream. "I don't wanna make this weird, I don't wanna scare you away."

Dream's phone dings again. He shuts it on and off to quickly scan the message that came through: _Are you okay?_

He stay startled against the door where George had lightly pushed him.  
  
"I-It's fine," Dream answers, "if you want to."  
  
 _Seriously?_  
  
Dream never found himself being attracted to George in the time he's known him. They've only ever worked together once or twice, but how could he say no? George's pink tinted lips, the soft skin he'd just felt moments ago. George's voice, and defined features, light freckles. It wasn't pressure, just a decision out of emotion, the way George's presence made him feel.  
  
Dream can only imagine what it'd feel like to kiss George. How sweet his lips would taste, how warm his breath would feel against his own lips, the silent gasps in between each kiss, yearning for air.  
  
George looks up to Dream and smiles.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
Dream nods. George, at first, slowly walks towards him, and with every step gets a bit faster. He bounces to Dream's face, cupping his jaw in one hand and rubs Dream's neck with his other. George is stood tippy-toed against Dream's body. Dream is hesitant at first, but leans in to skim the surface of George's lips. At first it was normal kisses, candy flavored love taps of intimacy and infatuation. Though, as it progressed, Dream could only imagine looking like the people on the couches just outside. George had started to kiss Dream's neck, and Dream even felt little love bites.  
  
 _The people outside_.  
  
Of course, there was still a party going on outside. Dream's sense to hear had gone blind for a bit, but he was brought back to reality shortly.  
  
"Are you okay?" George asks, to confirm Dream's comfort.  
  
Dream hums in agreeance. He did feel okay, he enjoyed the way George was touching him. In all fairness, he'd never been touched this way. Soft, warm hands on his stomach, gentle scratches, eager tugging, soft lips. Dream's hands rest on George's waist and his head lay back against the door. His legs were feeling unsteady.  
  
George pulls away and Dream gives him one last kiss. He was right, George was sweet. He adjusts his shirt and pants, and fixes his hair in the mirror. He rinses his face and washes his hands another time.  
  
"Sorry, I forgot you weren't much of a messy person," George apologizes genuinely. "I got a little carried away."  
  
"I enjoyed getting messy with you," Dream says, startled by his own response.  
  
 _No way you actually just said that._  
  
George smiles. Just then, Sapnap comes through the door, to check up on his friend.  
  
"Hi Sap," Dream greets.  
  
"You good?" Sapnap asks, looking from Dream to George.  
  
"Yeah, you know how I am. Just wanted to escape the crowd for a bit."  
  
Sapnap nods.  
  
"We're about to do cheers," Sapnap informs. "I know you don't drink, there's punch though?"  
  
"Yeah, I'll be out in a minute," Dream assures.  
  
The door closes and Dream looks to George with an awkward smile.  
  
"I gotta..I gotta go," Dream says, gesturing to the outside of the bathroom.  
  
"Of course," George agrees.

-

With punch in hand, Dream meets Sapnap in one of the kitchens in the house. Sapnap wraps an arm around him.  
  
"Thank you, again, really, for coming Dream," Sapnap whispers.  
  
"Sorry for not being here for most of it," Dream whispers back.  
  
"It's your nerves, it's okay."  
  
"I'd like to start this speech..." one of the football players start, raising a glass. The words drift away from Dream's attention. George catches the attention from beyond the ocean of heads. He stands unaware of his own beauty, peacefully admiring the decorations of the house. Dream sees it. He sees the way his motions change so fast. Just moments before, his rough tugs of ambition had Dream left craving for his touch. And now, he's sat marvelling at meaningless banners and streamers.  
  
"...and most importantly I'd like to thank this guy right here," Sapnap says as he lightly shakes Dream. Dream feels the wood floor beneath him. He smiles to play the part of the supportive friend, who'd been listening the entire time.  
  
"It's been a rough while, and he's the only person I've known that's supported me since the day we met. He has my back," he turns to Dream, "and I hope you know I have yours too."  
  
Dream nods and turns to the people circled around him. Everyone cheers and lifts their cups. Dream follows along and lifts his.  
  
"Cheers!" Sapnap exclaims.  
"Cheers!" everyone follows, and takes a sip from their cups.

-

It's far past Dream's curfew when the party dies out. He doesn't mind being late anymore, what can he do? Sapnap waves to his friends and the two boys are out the door and head to the car. They place their seatbelts across their chest and Sapnap checks the time.  
  
"Shit, Clay, you're supposed to be home already!" Sapnap hurries.  
  
Dream shrugs. Sapnap doesn't usually call him Clay. Only on two occasions: when he's messed up, or when Sapnap's messed up.  
  
"I'm sorry I left you in the bathroom," Sapnap says. "I should've waited for you."  
  
"Sap," Dream reaches for his hand, "I'm fine."  
  
Sapnap turns and exhales, disappointed in himself.  
  
"I'm okay," Dream reassures. "My mom won't be mad."  
  
"Are you sure?" Sapnap asks.  
  
"I'm sure. I'm not drunk, I'm not high, I haven't done anything illegal." Dream likes to joke with Sapnap. Usually he takes it lightly. It didn't seem like he cared what Dream had or hadn't done.  
  
"She won't be mad at you, either," Dream adds.  
  
Sapnap smiles to Dream.  
  
There was a few moments of silence before Dream had finally asked, "Sapnap?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I don't wanna sound like a dick, but, you know, I'm fine holding my own. It's okay to leave me alone. You don't even get paid to babysit."  
  
Sapnap laughs.  
  
"I know. You've just done so much for me. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you while we were out together. Like-"

" _That_ , wasn't your fault," Dream interrupts. "We didn't know each other, and now we do! I'm sure that's played a big role in why it's stopped."

"I'm really glad we're friends."  
  
Dream's heart warms. Sapnap usually is a genuine person, and often says things like this. Dream loves to hear it for comfort.

-

Dream waves and Sapnap waits for him to enter his house before driving off. When Dream's mom opens the door Sapnap calls from his window, "Love you bro!"  
  
"I love you too brother!" Dream calls back.  
  
He enters the warm house and instantly takes off the windbreaker he'd been wearing all night.  
  
"It's so warm in here?" Dream's comfused tone matches his face.  
  
"I had told you to be back by a certain time, Clay," his mom scolds.  
  
"You also told me to not be a downer," Dream smiles.  
  
His mom stares for a while before agreeing.  
  
"You're right," she sighs, "did you have fun?"  
  
"For it being a party," Dream nods.  
  
 _The only party you experienced was the one in your pants._  
  
Dream thinks about his and George's kiss.  
  
"Well that's good," his mom says gladly.  
  
Dream nods.  
  
"Thank you, again, for letting me go."  
Dream travels up his stairs to his bedroom.  
  
Patches lay on the bed where she'd been when Dream left.  
  
"Hey pretty girl," he greets.  
  
He joins her and snuggles with her in his bed. She purrs. This is what Dream needed after a long day.  
  
"Sweet dreams," his mom calls.  
  
"You too," Dream responds. 


	2. Dreams and Thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Clay!"
> 
> He turns to see George walking towards him. He can't ignore him now that he's noticed him. He slowly turns and walks with shorter strides to let George catch up.
> 
> He looks up from his shoes and gives George his attention.
> 
> "Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt," George begins, "I just didn't know if you wanted to work later or some other time."
> 
> Dream isn't exactly the best decision maker, except when it's something he genuinely disagrees with.
> 
> "I'll probably be doing something later today," Dream informs.
> 
> George nods.
> 
> "Tomorrow then? Maybe you can come to my place?"
> 
> "Maybe."
> 
> "Ouch," George teases.
> 
> "How does it feel to get indirectly rejected by me?" Dream taunts back.
> 
> So much for avoiding.

"Dream," a soft voice says, exaggerating the vowels of his name. A gentle hand massages his shoulder and nudges him awake. "C'mon, we're gonna be late. Wake up."  
  
"Where are we going?" Dream answers groggily.  
  
"Are you serious?"  
  
Dream sits up against the board of his bed and rubs his eyes open. Cleaning out the morning's crust and probably some dried slobber he assumed. He combs his hand through his hair and places a sock that had disappeared on his left foot.  
  
"Good morning cutie," Dream greets. Words he never thought would leave his mouth.  
  
George smiles, making his way to sit at the edge of Dream's bed. As he does, he travels his hand from Dream's chest to his shin. He fixes the poorly placed sock and rubs it a couple of times.  
  
"You have to get up, love," George repeats.  
  
"I forgot where we were supposed to go?" Dream admits.  
  
George sighs.  
  
"We're going to my mum's, remember? She wanted to meet you after I told her about us."  
  
" _Us..._ " Dream whispers again.  
  
"You're so cute," George compliments.  
  
Although Dream admired this compliment, he wasn't sure what he earned it for. Nothing had happened after the night of the party. He went home, he went to bed, with Patches, right?  
  
"I'd never be able to compare to you," Dream fires back. The words leaving his mouth faster than he had been able to think of them. He's done this before.  
  
George lightly laughs and heads for the bedroom door.  
  
"You get dressed. Shower if you need to. I'll make breakfast, what do you feel like?"  
  
"You," Dream answers, so simply.  
  
"What?"  
  
Dream forces himself out of bed and makes his way to George, almost tripping on dirty laudry.  
  
 _I should get that later._  
  
George tries to hide his smirk.  
  
Dream playfully clasps his hands around George's waist. They're close now, just as close as they were at the party, maybe closer.  
  
"If we were to walk into that kitchen together I'd find it pretty pleasing that you'd be the only thing that satisfies my sweet tooth," Dream teases.  
  
George's cheeks are flushed with a pink tint.  
  
"You have to get dressed," George manages to let out, voice shaky and flustered.  
  
"C'mon baby, just one kiss?" Dream offers.  
  
George rolls his eyes and makes a poor attempt to hide his beaming smile. He brings his arms up around Dream's neck. Their eyes focus on each other for a while before meeting each other's lips.  
  
"Only one," George repeats.  
  
"Well, I can't make any promises."  
  
And just before Dream begins to lean in, he's interrupted by the sound of-  
  
"Clay!?"  
  
He stops and frowns.  
  
"What's wrong?" George asks, sounding disappointed.  
  
"Mom?" Dream calls.  
  
"Clay!!" the voice calls again.  
  
"Excuse me," Dream smiles to George. He lets go of the small figure in his arms and everything starts to drift away.  
  
"You're going to be late for school, Clay," his mom informs, she sounds annoyed.  
  
"I'm awake," Dream assures.  
  
She leaves, and Dream places a hand over his eyes. He's had that dream the past couple nights after Saturday's party. He rubs his eyes and drags himself out of bed. As his feet meet the floor, he notices his left sock is missing and searches his bed.  
  
 _Weird_.  
  
After he'd showered and got dressed he headed down stairs for breakfast. His sister was already sat at the table waiting for him.  
  
"Hungry?" his mom asks as he gets comfortable in his chair.  
  
He does nothing more but smile in response and quietly eats the two sausages placed in hand by his sister.  
  
 _'Thank you'_ she mouths. She doesn't enjoy meat much, she's very picky about the food she eats.  
  
He nods.  
  
"Is Nick able to pick you up this morning?" his mom asks, keeping her focus on the hissing sounds of the stove.  
  
"I'll ask," Dream responds. He doesn't, in the end. He means to, but gets distracted by the television. The news is on today. Different from the usual sound of the Spongebob intro. He gets up from his seat to find the remote to change the channel.  
  
"Leave it please," his mom asks.  
  
He sets the remote back down on the armrest. Nothing important was on, not to him, anyway. Just presidential stuff he was aware of, but not fully. He didn't like to focus on it much because then he wouldn't be able to focus on the things that stay longer in his life than presidential debates on tv.  
  
His phone dings. It's Sapnap: _Sorry, I know I should've texted you sooner. I can't drive you this morning, I have to run some errands before school._  
  
 _Shit_.  
  
"Is that Nick?" his mom asks.  
  
"Yeah, he's here."  
  
His sister tries to look out from beyond the curtains. He lightly kicks her leg with his.  
  
" _Hey_ , you-"  
  
Dream places a finger over his mouth.  
  
She nods and begins to distract their mom so Dream is able to ride off on his bike without her seeing.  
  
"Mom, can I have some juice?" she asks as Dream kisses her goodbye.  
  
"Yeah, let me get you some. Have a good day at school, Clay, I love you. Don't get into any trouble."  
  
She turns away to open the fridge and pour his sister some mango juice- her favorite. He makes a beeline for the door but stops to smile and wink to his sister.  
  
 _'Thank you'_ he mouths, resembling her from earlier that morning.  
  
-  
  
Once at school, he had made it clear to himself that he'd do _anything_ to avoid George.  
...  
It just didn't occur to him what would happen in second period. He sits a row beside George, what would he do? What if he had to talk with him? What if George talked to him?  
...  
"This assignment is a 'Getting to Know You', except, you won't be telling me about yourself, you'll be learning about the person next to you," the teacher explains.  
  
 _Of course. Of course I have to learn about George. Of course he has to learn about me._  
  
It all seemed pretty quick to Dream, considering the situation he was in. Of course, the one day he wanted to purposely avoid George was the first day in a while of having to work with him.  
  
George leans in from the side.  
  
"Wanna work at my place?" George offers.  
  
Dream blatantly ignores him. He shuts out the loose feeling in his stomach. It's for his own good that he is. Maybe not for George, especially without reason, but he'll make up an excuse later.  
  
-  
  
"Is it really that bad?" Sapnap asks over the lunch table.  
  
"You look fine, battle scars are sick, anyways," Dream answers, and tries to soothes his friend's nerves.  
  
Sapnap had gotten into an argument with someone in his PE period. Luckily he didn't get into too much trouble, otherwise Dream would be in the library alone right now.  
  
"So, what was, what was the, the fight about again?" Dream asks.  
  
"He wanted to get in my face after I told him to back off. I only shoved him when he didn't listen," Sapnap explains. "Then it only escalated from there."  
  
Dream nods. He's not buying any of the bullshit Sapnap is trying to sell. He never tells Dream the truth of things like this. He goes along with it, now. He'll never understand the reasoning behind some of the things his friend does. Maybe he's biased when always taking Sapnap's side in things, but he likes being as supportive a friend he can.  
  
"How were your first few classes?" Sapnap begins.  
  
"Same as always, just boring," Dream answers in a flat tone. Except the second one. Second class was just infuriating for him.  
  
"That's promising."  
  
"What about you?"  
  
Sapnap points to the nick above his eye, just settled on his eyebrow.  
  
"Right, how, how does that even happen?" Dream asks.  
  
"That's what I'm saying, I'll never understand how a punch makes a cut."  
  
"Like, you know in movies?-"  
  
"That's what I was thinking too, but I thought that was _only_ in movies."  
  
"Maybe you can be like, Wolverine, or something, just heal yourself, dude."  
  
Sapnap laughs, and as always, Dream laughs along. Their presence makes each other laugh, it's so contagious. They catch their breath after a while.  
  
"Will your mom be mad?" Dream asks, genuinely.  
  
"Nah, she probably won't even notice," Sapnap answers. His left over smile stays and he places his crossed arms on the the table.  
  
The bell rings and they sit for a while.  
  
"I'll see you after school?" Dream reassures.  
  
"Probably not, I have detention. We can stream later though, if you want?"  
  
"That's fine," Dream settles, and smiles as he departs from the only good part of his day.  
  
-  
  
As Dream walks down the school's steps, he hears a voice calling his name behind him.  
  
"Clay!"  
  
He turns to see George walking towards him. He can't ignore him now that he's noticed him. He slowly turns and walks with shorter strides to let George catch up.  
  
He looks up from his shoes and gives George his attention.  
  
"Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt," George begins, "I just didn't know if you wanted to work later or some other time."  
  
Dream isn't exactly the best decision maker, except when it's something he genuinely disagrees with.  
  
"I'll probably be doing something later today," Dream informs.  
  
George nods.  
  
"Tomorrow then? Maybe you can come to my place?"  
  
"Maybe."  
  
" _Ouch_ ," George teases.  
  
"How does it feel to get indirectly rejected by me?" Dream taunts back.  
  
 _So much for avoiding._  
  
The thought settles in his mind. He tries to get back in the more strict of a mood he had been in.  
  
"Hurts, actually," George answers, "I might shed a tear or two."  
  
He smiles to Dream and Dream nods back. George hands him a blue post-it with a number on it.  
  
"Just- If you're free, or when we can work. I didn't know if you still had it from last assignment," George says. "Talk to you later?"  
  
Dream hums in agreeance and George retraces his steps to where he came from. It was hard not to stare after he walked away. The way his head stay lifted, witnessing everything in front of him, his backpack hangs off the side of his shoulder, the confidence he has with every step. Things that shouldn't catch Dream's attention but do.  
  
 _Go home._  
  
He finds his bike and pedals off as fast as he can. He needs to get away from school. He needs to get away from George.


	3. Embarrassment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "They look pretty," Dream encourages.
> 
> He looks to George. He's pretty. No. That wasn't a good enough word. Gorgeous. Purple is his color. If Dream looks close enough he can see his spotted freckles. He can see his smile lines, and beautiful eyes. He wondered what it'd be like to stay here. In this moment, right now, everyday. What it'd be like to hold George in his arms again. Combing his fingers through his hair every night, almost like a massage to make him fall asleep. What it'd be like to get close to him again. To kiss him, to feel him, to be with him.
> 
> "Clay?"

"Hey," Sapnap greets, as Dream enters the car quietly.  
  
Dream merely nods. He hasn't said much this morning, pointed out from his mother a little while ago.  
  
"You okay?" Sapnap speaks again, trying to read his friend's body language, but fails, as if he's a book written in something foreign.  
  
Dream nods again. He places his head against the back of the seat and closes his eyes. His face is simple, no smile, but also no frown. Calmed eyebrows, no sight of strain. He's even unsure of his own feelings.  
  
Sapnap sighs and places his hand on the gear shift, putting the car in reverse. He holds his head high. Dream sees it. Sapnap knows something he doesn't.  
  
"What's wrong?" Dream asks, vocalizing his first words of the morning.  
  
Sapnap shakes his head. It's his turn to be mute.  
  
There were a few moments of silence before he spoke again  
  
"You didn't text or call after you were done with homework."  
  
He sounds worried. Not worried enough for Dream to be concerned, though. Only worried enough for Dream to feel bad.  
  
~  
  
The night before, Dream had ended his stream after recieving a call from George. He won't ever admit it, but he's had his number saved since the first time George gave it to him.  
  
" _Excuse me_ ," he remembers saying, muting his microphone and accepting the call.  
  
" _Okay guys, when he comes back, spam 'bitchboy' in chat_." He lightly chuckles at the thought of Sapnap's words. He tries not to draw attention to himself in the car.  
  
" _What the hell, I can still hear you!_ " he had laughed.  
  
He'd spun around in his chair before he brought the phone to his ear.  
  
" _Who is it?_ " he asked, keeping his cool. He knew who it was. The name only was able to be read across the screen.  
  
" _Wow, I'm hurt. I thought you would've saved it by now_ ," George said from within the phone.  
  
Dream's mouth hollows.  
  
_I don't want him to think I don't care about him_ , he thought.  
  
" _I meant to, I was busy_ ," he lied politely.  
  
After having that welcoming start to their conversation, George had offered for him and Dream to work on their assignment. Him and Sapnap had already been streaming for an hour or two.  
  
_He won't mind, will he?_  
  
" _I, um, I...Can I call you back?_ " He remembers how numb his tongue felt, afraid George would take his anxious words the wrong way.  
  
After George insists on the question, Dream unmutes and texts Sapnap while also interacting with him on stream: **i gotta finish my homework**  
  
" _Okay, back_ ," he had started, and after a bit continuing with, " _So you all are just gonna listen to Sapnap, huh?_ " He chuckled.  
  
As the chat flooded in with the joking name, his phone chimes: **What's it for? Do you need help?**  
  
" _I'm getting sorta tired_ ," Sapnap stalled. This also made it easier to ease their way into ending the stream.  
  
" _Same_."  
  
**english. i don't need help, thank you though. it's a partner assignment** Dream answered.  
  
Silence flowed comfortably before he remembered he was still streaming. He rushed his hands over his keyboard once again.  
  
" _Alright chat_ ," he began, " _I think that's our time to head out._ "  
  
Along with the constant 'aww's' and 'don't go's' he read the next incoming text: **Ooh, who're you working with?**  
  
He remembers the way his stomach fell. He remembers how his heart had leapt to his throat and he felt his ears go red.  
  
**some kid i sit next to. his name is george.**  
  
~  
  
George wasn't _some_ kid. Not some kid _at all_. He sighed at the fact he felt ashamed of George in some way. Not of George, per se, of the way he feels for George. Does he even feel a way for him?  
  
Dream turns on his phone and reads the unopened message: _Text me when you're done?_  
  
"I fell asleep after. We worked late, the assignment was so stupid," Dream finally answers.  
  
"Was it the one for Ms. Ashburn's class?" Sapnap asks.  
  
"Yeah, the 'getting to...'"  
  
"'...to know your partner, yeah, that one was stupid," Sapnap finishes and agrees. He begins to loosen up now.  
  
"You're so lucky to be in your senior year," Dream says, jealousy in his voice.  
  
As lucky as Sapnap is, Dream knows he'll despise the day his friend has to graduate. Leaving him behind, might even forget about him. He hopes he doesn't.  
  
"You're halfway there," Sapnap encourages, "and then we can be long gone from this place."  
  
-  
  
The car parks and Dream releases his seatbelt. He makes his way to the back of the car for Sapnap to open the trunk to retrieve his backpack. They walk in together after the doors are locked.  
  
They follow the path up to the entrance.  
  
Dream stops halfway when he sees Sapnap's friends.  
  
"W-what're, what're they doing here? Sh-shouldn't th-they be like, I don't know. Why are they here?" Dream slurs. He panics and his blood grows cold, making him freeze. He begins to sweat and almost trips as he walks away.  
  
Sapnap steps in front of him.  
  
"Hey, hey, hey, look, look! I'm right here, I'm here, with you! Okay? They won't do anything, okay? I'm here, I'm with you, breathe in,"  
  
Dream inhales.  
  
"1...2...3," Sapnap successfully calms. "Okay, breathe out,"  
  
_4...5...6...7...8_  
  
"You're okay," Sapnap reassures. "You okay?"  
  
Dream nods. He's okay. It alarmed him, the way they stood there, practically mocking his anxiety. They were never at school this early. Most of the time they weren't at school at all.  
  
_Why are they here?_  
  
"I'll walk on their side, okay?"  
  
"Okay," Dream shakily agrees.  
  
His legs grow limp making his way back up the steps.  
  
"Hey Nicky-poo," one of them taunts. Dream knows of him. Karl.  
  
"Hello Karly-bun," Sapnap picks on.  
  
The group laughs and let out kiss noises as he passes.  
  
" _Is that Clay_?" a voice hisses from beside Karl, practically taunting him.  
  
Dream shakes.  
  
_Don't feed them. Don't look, and they won't mess with you._  
  
" _Ohhh_ , honk off Quack-Meista!" Karl chimes.  
  
"Poor Alex. A shame Karl chose me over you, a win, in my situation," Sapnap tries to distract.  
  
Again, they let out inaudible sounds of who knows what. Dream couldn't tell. He sees, Alex, he assumes, bring Sapnap in and whisper in his ear. When he pulls away, Sapnap's face grows still. He hears Sapnap whisper something in a low, serious tone, but Dream isn't interested much in what he could've said.  
  
"See you guys later," Sapnap waves.  
  
They collectively send him off and the two boys continue their way into the school.  
  
"Hey Clay!" George calls from his left side.  
  
Dream turns and smiles. He can only mouth a 'hi', before Sapnap nudges his shoulder.  
  
"What?" Dream asks, not meaning to sound as agitated as he did.  
  
"I forgot I have to turn in a library book," Sapnap says after a bit. "Wanna come with me?"  
  
Dream thinks about the question long and hard. Why? He didn't know if he wanted to stay with George or go with Sapnap.  
  
_What if he gets mad at me?_  
  
"I'll go," Dream answers.  
  
-  
  
"Why do they keep staring at us?" Dream asks. His voice raises at the end. He doesn't feel comfortable finishing his meal.  
  
Sapnap turns his head around until he's brought to the table across theirs. All the football players stare him down like he's a freshly cooked steak.  
  
"Sapnap?"  
  
"It's nothing, Clay."  
  
Dream grows cold. A shiver is sent down his spine. He shakes and he can't feel his legs. It's noticable.  
  
"Hey," Sapnap begins. "I'm sorry, I-I'm sorry. I have to go talk to them, okay? I promise I'll come back, nothing will happen. I'll keep an eye on all of them."  
  
"Please," Dream jitters through his breath, "don't leave me."  
  
" _I promise,_ " Sapnap swears again.  
  
As he walks away, Dream feels his breath shorten and a gulp is stuck in the back of his throat. He shows clear disgust at the distaste in his mouth. His face tenses as he tries to hold back anxious tears. In a quick blink, the bench he's sat on is weighed down by a body that sits next to him. The warmth of the body doesn't help soothe the nerves. When the shoulder of the person is below his, his muscles loosen and he makes eye contact with him.  
  
"You okay?" George asks, worry in his eyes and eyebrows narrowing.  
  
"Cold," he answers. It wasn't the best excuse. George most likely didn't buy it.  
  
George smiles and holds out his hand. Dream raises an eyebrow in curiosity.  
  
"Touch it," George insists.  
  
Dream places his hand in George's, and the body heat warms him up almost instantly. Maybe it was nervousness, also helping, but that's besides the point.  
  
"How're you so warm?" Dream asks.  
  
"Just keep your hands in your pockets."  
  
Dream slowly does this and stays there.  
  
"So," George begins, "I don't mean to push..."  
  
They sit there in silence, and George looks as though he's waiting for an answer. He barely scoots in closer as a 'hello?' sign, Dream assumes.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"About last night. I, I asked if you'd wanna come over."  
  
Dream remembers.  
  
~  
  
" _Finally_ ," Dream remembers the feeling of accomplishment as the clock struck close to midnight.  
  
" _That took longer than I had expected_ ," George had said.  
  
They sat in silence before George asked, " _Clay?_ "  
  
" _Yeah?_ "  
  
Dream remembers his stomach falling as he anxiously looked for an excuse to speak again. He'd concluded to nothing, and sat in the dead call.  
  
He hears George deep inhale.  
  
" _Do you think you'd wanna come hang out at my place? Watch a movie or something, I don't know_."  
  
Dream's heart thumped out of his chest. His palms started to sweat and his eyes widened. He felt flustered with a waves of happiness.  
  
" _I would_ ," Dream said, excitedly, not yet thinking over his downsides. " _I'll have to ask my mom. I think she would let me. I also have to make sure Sapnap doesn't want to do anything_."  
  
" _Who's Sapnap?_ "  
  
He remembers his face growing hot. He regrets the name as soon as it came out of his mouth.  
  
" _Who?_ "  
  
_You're officially an idiot,_ he remembers thinking.  
  
He heard George's giggle on the opposite end of the phone. It made Dream smile.  
  
~  
  
"Um," George brings Dream back to the real world, "you don't have to, if you don't want to."  
  
"I would love to!" Dream answers instantly.  
  
Then, the bell rings. The two sit in each other's company, not saying a word. Comfortable silence.  
  
"We ought to go," George smiles.  
  
"I will, I'll wait for S-," he stops himself, "Nick."  
  
_Nick. Sapnap_. Sapnap. Sapnap! He'd almost forgotten about Sapnap. As he waited he brought out his phone to inform his mother he was going to a friend's house after school to finish work.  
  
_it's not a girl, don't worry_ , he adds.  
  
"C'mon kid, you'll be late for class."  
  
When he looks up, no one is in the cafeteria anymore. Him and the janitor stare blankly at each other.  
  
_He didn't come back._  
  
-  
  
"Dream!"  
  
It's Sapnap, chasing him down the hill beside the sidewalk where they'd been this morning.  
  
"What's wrong?" Dream asks, examining the huffs of air Sapnap is taking and worried gestures.  
  
"We have to talk dude."  
  
"See ya!" George shouts, driving away in his mom's car.  
  
Dream smiles and waves and brings his attention back to the sweaty mess in front of him.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"We can't talk, here, we, we have to meet at your place, or something, we _need_ to talk."  
  
"Look, Sapnap, if this is about lunch, it's okay-"  
  
" _No!_ Dude, I'm serious."  
  
This sounded much more urgent than Dream thought. He may have forgave Sapnap, but he was still upset though. He wasn't sure what to do.  
  
Sapnap follows the car driving off.  
  
Dream follows his friend's eyes.  
  
"This is about George, isn't it," Dream says, head and voice low and steady.  
  
"C'mon man," Sapnap exhales.  
  
Dream nods and wipes his mouth of the cruel words he wants to say.  
  
"Can we talk later, please," and that was enough for Sapnap to back off.  
  
"Call me, okay."  
  
"I will."  
  
" _Seriously_."  
  
" _I will!_ "  
  
And he will, he makes sure of it. He mentally takes the note and places it to the front of his mind, and keeps it there.

_Is Sapnap jealous?_

There's no way Sapnap could be jealous. Why would he be?  
  
-  
  
Later, he meets George in the front of his house. He knocks, his hands are steady. He felt confident in coming to George's house this evening. He was ready to face it head on with no complications. At least, he thought, anyway. George opened the door, and there he stood in all his glory. With his high cheek bones, and defined, yet petite, muscles. His shirt even hang enough for Dream to notice his collar bones.  
  
"Hi!" George greets, and gestures inside his own home.  
  
"Hello," Dream greets back timidly, and walks inside the home with caution. He's never been to anyone else's home besides Sapnap's. This was definetly a new environment, but he got used to it quickly enough.  
  
"Are you hungry?" George asked, making himself a sandwich.  
  
"No," Dream answers. He felt his voice become tender. "No thank you."  
  
George smiles and nods, and takes a bite out of his sandwich.  
  
"So what kind of movies do you like?"  
  
"Um, nothing specific, I guess."  
  
"You don't have, like, a favorite genre?"  
  
Dream's not watched many movies. He's always streaming, or making new videos, thinking of ideas, or hanging out with Sapnap. He doesn't really make time for anything else, besides his homework and Patches.  
  
"There's, like, horror, or romance, action?" George suggests.  
  
"Horror movies are cool," Dream answers.  
  
"Like, what, Gremlins?" George laughs.  
  
"Gremlins is _not_ a horror film," Dream chuckles back.  
  
" _Is too_. They're weird, and creepy!" George whines. "Have you ever seen Pet Sematary?"  
  
Dream shakes his head.  
  
"C'mon," George leads.  
  
Before he knows it, Dream is running up the steps, unsure of where exactly he's going. George opens the door to, Dream assumes, his room. Dream hesitates to walk in.  
  
"It's okay," George allows.  
  
He slowly walks in. It looks nice. Much nicer than his own room. The posters on the wall, some lights hanging over his bed connecting to the top of the window and checkered sheets spread on his bed.  
  
"Your room is nice," Dream admires.  
  
"Thanks, not much though, is it," George humbles himself.  
  
"Much nicer than mine. More decorated and stuff."  
  
"Maybe I can go over and decorate it for you," George suggests.  
  
Dream couldn't tell if he was serious or not. He'd let him, if he were. His attention is brought to George's night stand. He sees a glass, plastic, maybe some sort of silicone, well, _thing_. He wasn't quite sure what it was. It looked like it was filled with dirt.  
  
"What's that?" he asks, pointing to the thing that sort of looked like a coaster.  
  
George looks at it. Maybe his cheeks were a little pink, but Dream couldn't tell from the sun shining through the red curtains.  
  
"Um, I don't really know," George answers. He doesn't sound as confident as he did a while ago.  
  
"You don't use it for anything?" Dream asks, walking towards it.  
  
Before he can pick it up, George snatches it from the edge of the desk.  
  
"Trash, probably," and he puts it under his bed.  
  
Confused, Dream tries to take a better look.  
  
"Ready?" George distracts.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"The movie?"  
  
"Oh yeah," Dream had almost forgotten what he'd been here for, "I'm ready."  
  
"You can sit down on the bed," George offers, and opens his closet to pull out a foldable chair.  
  
"You don't want to, as well?" Dream asks. George only shakes his head.  
...  
Dream had watched a good portion of the movie, until he didn't. He gets distracted easily. A little _too_ easily for his own taste. This seemed so surreal, this, being in George's house, laying on George's bed, being in George's _presence_. Dream liked having George's attention. This might be the worst way to have his attention, though. No talking, in order to not interrupt the movie. Dream didn't even want to watch a movie, now that he thought of it. He wanted to be talking to George, making him laugh, looking into his eyes. Every day since Saturday, George has been on Dream's mind. He's not sure if it's healthy. He kissed him. He _kissed_ him. What the hell does that mean? Does George like him? Does he not? Dream was unsure of what to think, since one day they'd made physical contact (lots of it, for that matter) and then the next days after that there was no contact at all. Only verbally. The nuts and bolts are screwing and unscrewing, readjusting and replacing in Dream's mind.  
  
The screen is pure black by the time Dream gets his head out of the clouds.  
  
_Was I really not paying attention for that long?_  
  
"There's no way to express how greatful I am that horror movies aren't real," George exaggerates.  
  
Dream stays silent. He hopes George doesn't ask him anything about the movie, since he hadn't paid lots of attention to most of it.  
  
George hops up from his seat and plops down onto the bed besides Dream. Dream, however, was startled by this movement, and froze, unsure of what to do. Now he's laying in bed with George. That's a funny, imaginable sentence. Except he wasn't imagining at all. He was there.  
  
"Did you like it?" George asks, turning his head upward to make eye contact with Dream. Dream's head shoots away to look at the ceiling.  
  
Dream nods.  
  
"It's okay if you didn't."  
  
"It was a bit boring," Dream confesses. "It had my attention for a good while though."  
  
George giggles. They lay in bed together, in silence. Dream felt safe.  
  
"Wanna see somethin'?" George asks. His face lights up, Dream can tell he's excited.  
  
"No," he teases. When George gives him a confused look, he laughs. A laugh pitched high enough to shatter glass. "Yes," he answers again, "I'd love to."  
  
George smiles.  
  
"You know, I don't even think I wanna show you anymore," George pouts, and playfully crosses his arms.  
  
He gets out of bed to turn off the lights.  
  
_Okay, where's he going with this?_  
  
Dream wasn't sure what was going to happen next. His palms started to sweat and he felt his legs feel like jelly. George lays back down, and turns to his dresser. He flips a switch and above them were stars. Purple ones. Dream was back at his calm state.  
  
George looks at him for approval, and he can see from the corner of his eye.  
  
"They look pretty," Dream encourages.  
  
He looks to George. _He's_ pretty. No. That wasn't a good enough word. _Gorgeous_. Purple is his color. If Dream looks close enough he can see his spotted freckles. He can see his smile lines, and beautiful eyes. He wondered what it'd be like to stay here. In this moment, right now, everyday. What it'd be like to hold George in his arms again. Combing his fingers through his hair every night, almost like a massage to make him fall asleep. What it'd be like to get _close_ to him again. To _kiss_ him, to feel him, to _be with_ him.  
  
"Clay?"  
  
Dream focuses and his eyes widen. To his surprise, him and George are there, face to face. Not too close, though. Just close enough for George to read his face, he guesses. They're both rolled over, hand supporting their face, staring in each other's eyes.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"What are you thinking about?"  
  
"Um," _you_ , "I don't know, really," _I want to kiss you_ , "what else should we do?" _again_.  
  
As George lists the available activities, Dream gains a sense of determination. Finding out whether he felt something that night at the party or not.  
  
Dream cups George's cheek in his hand. His jaw fits perfectly in his grip. Like a puzzle piece, he compares.  
  
"Clay?"  
  
He's so beautiful. Dream leans in slowly, waiting to see if George accepts the gesture or not. He hasn't pulled away, or made any comment. If anything, Dream can see him also leaning in slowly. He even feels George's hand beneath his rib. He eyes flutter shut to complete the mood and tie it up nicely.  
  
"Clay," George interrupts.  
  
George sits up straight in his bed. He pants a little and runs his hand through his own hair.  
  
"I'm sorry," Dream says. He feels a slight embarrassment, but more knowledgeable. Right?  
  
"Clay."  
  
Dream looks up to him.  
  
"I'm sorry," George repeats.  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
"I just," he hesitates. George doesn't usually hesitate. "You're a good guy," he starts, "a really great guy. You have a kind heart, I know you do."  
  
Dream feels his heart leap to his throat.  
  
"I'm just,"  
  
_For God's sake, spit it out._  
  
"I'm not into boys. I mean I'm not, you know, I don't, I'm not attracted, to..."  
  
He doesn't finish his sentence. The silence finishes it for him. That was all Dream needed. He feels his throat dry. His tear ducts are yet to produce water in his eyes any second now. He panics. He slowly sits up in the same bed and becomes a little light headed.  
  
"I'm sorry," Dream apologizes again. He quickly jumps out of the sheets and runs out of the room. He can hear steps behind him. It's like he's running from his biggest fear. He's never had one of those.  
  
"Clay!" George calls out after him. Before he knows it George is stood between him and the door.  
  
"Move," Dream bites. He doesn't mean to sound harsh. "Please."  
  
"Hey, it's okay! I'm- I'm not mad? Or anything, I don't, I don't know. You're okay, I..It's not a bad thing to be-"  
  
"What? To be what, George?"  
  
George looks up to Dream.  
  
"You're still my friend."  
  
Dream scoffs.  
  
_Friend_.  
  
"Please," Dream exhales.  
  
George looks down in defeat. He slowly opens the door for Dream.  
  
"Thank you, for inviting me."  
  
-  
  
"How was your friend's house?" Dream's mom calls from downstairs.  
  
"Good," Dream answers simply.  
  
He definetly wasn't going to sleep.  
  
"I'm glad," she says, and walks in to give her son a kiss goodnight. "I love you."  
  
"Love you too, mom."  
  
She closes the door.  
  
He lays back-flat on his bed. He wanted to cry, now more than ever. Just let everything out. 

  
_What a fucking idiot._  
**_It wasn't my fault!_**  
_Why the hell did you kiss him??_  
**_You wanted answers!!_**  
  
Dream didn't get them, the answers, as much as he thought he did. He was so sure of them, but he only over thought them and confused himself even more.  
  
_Why, why the hell did he lean in too? Why was he going to hold me, WHY ON EARTH, did he kiss me at that stupid fucking party in the first place? I wish I never fucking went._  
  
_Sapnap_.  
  
Sapnap.  
  
~  
  
" _Call me, okay?_ "  
  
" _I will_."  
  
" _Seriously_."  
  
" _I will!_ "  
~  
  
"Hey, I got home safe. What'd you wanna talk about?" Dream asks, phone in hand. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! :D another chapter will come, but not sure when


	4. Sapnap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream chuckles a bit too and wipes a stray tear from his cheek. The bell rings and the two are forced to separate. They get up and Sapnap stops as Dream's body stills. 
> 
> In one swift movement Dream hugs him, not like any other time they've hugged before. Sapnap freezes and is unsure what to do with his arms before he pulls Dream in too. 
> 
> "Thank you, Sapnap," Dream says, squeezing him tighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw// homophobia, homophobic language
> 
> this chapter takes place where last chapter left off, and continues on, but in Sapnap's perspective. and it fills in parts we weren't able to see :)

"Yeah, um, it's late? Are, are you-" Sapnap redirects the phone in front of his face, wincing at the brightness of the screen. "Can we talk tomorrow? It's, it's more something for in person, anyways."  
  
No answer, silence from the other side.  
  
"Yeah, that's fine," Dream replies.  
  
"Okay, sorry, don't worry okay, I just, I'm tired right now," Sapnap chuckles. He calms his voice, hoping not to worry his friend.  
  
"Yeah, I get it. I didn't even- I wasn't really aware of the time, actually. Talk to you tomorrow?"  
  
Sapnap closes his eyes. His friend's innocence always made him feel calm.  
  
"Yeah, I'll be able to pick you up, too."  
  
"Okay, goodnight Sapnap."  
  
"Goodnight Dream."  
  
Neither had hung up, yet. Sapnap stared at his phone, watching the seconds of their call rise. It didn't feel like the right time to hang up. He brings the phone close to his ear again.  
  
"I love you brother."  
  
"I love you too." Dream's smile was able to be heard.  
  
Now it felt right. Pushing the red button at the bottom of the screen, Sapnap places his phone back on his nightstand and sighs.  
  
_What am I gonna tell him?_  
  
He knew the general idea of what he was supposed to tell him. He wasn't really sure how to. How to ask without hurting his feelings. How to not make him uncomfortable if he asked. Was Dream sensitive to that kind of thing?  
  
_It's probably not even true._  
  
That was a possiblity, seeing as the statement came from Sapnap's bullshit friends.  
  
~  
  
The ball had gone through the hoop, easier than anyone had ever made it look like. Of course, Sapnap always made it look easiest.  
  
_'No shot!'_ Alex exclaimed, as the ball flew over his head and through the ring. He groaned and whined over the third loss he had had that period against Sapnap's team.  
  
' _Whatever,_ ' Karl joked, sweat dripping down from his temple. He combed his hair through his fingers, but it hadn't mattered much, as it neatly placed itself back in the position from before.  
  
Sapnap chuckled at his friends' sore losered remarks and wiped away at the sweat from his forehead.  
  
They had all sat down on the bleachers and started to chug their waters. How _messy_ boys were. Drips of water hanging from their chins and the stench practically burned through Sapnap's nose. He couldn't imagine smelling any better, anyway, so he always chose to ignore it.  
  
_'I just don't understand, Nick_ ,' Karl began.  
  
' _What's there to try and understand?_ ' Sapnap giggled. He had supposed he was talking about the shot he had just made, or any shot, for that matter.  
  
_'That, Clay kid, you always hang around_ ,' Karl continued, ' _you guys are just_ _total_ _opposites!'_  
  
Comments like these always bothered him. It wasn't the first time he heard it. It most likely wouldn't be the last, either. _Yes,_ Sapnap was more on the athletic side, _yes,_ Sapnap was more popular, _yes,_ they were opposites. So what?  
  
_'Yeah, well, he's my best friend_ ,' Sapnap answered. He had felt his voice become tender at the end of his sentence, but didn't really care.  
  
_'Yeah, you didn't actually mean that at the party, did you?'_ Alex chimed in.  
  
_'I mean, yeah, I did? Why wouldn't I?'_  
  
_'You know he's, like,'_ Sapnap remembers the hesitation. Remembers the pause in between the group. The silence killed him, he wanted to know what _bullshit_ these idiots were coming up with.  
  
_'Well spit it out, Karl!'_ he snapped.  
  
_'He's gay_ ,' Karl blurted, almost in a whisper. He almost sounded ashamed, if Sapnap hadn't known any better. Of what? Karl had never been friends with Dream. Was he ashamed of Sapnap being friends with him?  
  
_'No he's not_ ,' Sapnap smiled, and tried to laugh it off as a joke, alongside all the gears spinning in his mind. A really fucked up joke.  
  
_'Yeah, dude, we're almost positive he kissed a dude at the party. Some guy went in and they both didn't come out until Clay did first.'_  
  
_'I had went in there, I told Clay we were doing cheers, that's why he came out. He doesn't do well at social things. All he had to do was use the restroom, he told me_.' Sapnap assured.  
  
_'Then why was he in there for so long?'_ a voice in the back had asked. Looking back on it, Sapnap never remembered him on the football team.  
  
_'What,_ _did you like, time him?? What's wrong with you guys, you ever just mind your business?_ ' Sapnap snapped. He remembered screwing the lid back on his bottle and standing up to go back and shoot hoops before the ball rang. He had felt the eyes on him as he walked away.  
  
Everyone followed. It seemed Sapnap had made a point to all of them that whatever was Dream's business was _Dream's_ business. That point shouldn't have been had to be made across, though. And clearly one person just didn't get the message.  
  
Sapnap had shot another hoop before the kid from the back walked up to him.  
  
_'You can tell me, dude. You aren't actually friends with that fag, are you?'_  
  
Sapnap remembers his blood boiling from beneath his skin. Remember the way he felt like he was about to catch on fire if he didn't calm himself. There was no point to, though, his words had to be made clear.  
  
Sapnap stared him down for a long time before charging after him and holding him against the wall.  
  
_'I fucking told you, he had to use the restroom, and you already seem gay as shit for feeling the need to be up his ass. Shut the fuck up and mind your fucking business, alright? Just listen and do what I fucking told you to do.'_  
  
He shoved him once more before backing away. He felt his eyebrows unable to come back from their furious stance, his hands unable to retract from fists, and his blood only rising to scorching temperatures.  
  
_'Hey, dickhead_ ,' the boy called.  
  
Before Sapnap was able to turn around, he had felt the weight of a basketball collide with his upper back. His lips smacked and tightened.  
  
_'You're dead meat for that one_ ,' and started to dart towards him. Though the kid started to regret his decision quickly, there were no brakes on Sapnap's feet.  
  
He had only punched Sapnap one time, and although it didn't hurt, it left a scar somehow, just placed above his eye. After that the coaches were sounding their whistles and breaking up the fight. Sapnap was lucky he was on the football team, and one of their best players at that; Otherwise he was aware he would've been suspended.  
  
~  
  
"How'd you sleep?" Sapnap asks, taking the backpack from his friend's hands so he can properly place himself in his car.  
  
"Fine," Dream answers. It wasn't a sharp 'fine', more of a tired one. He yawned, only proving the point.  
  
"Did you even sleep?" Sapnap lightly laughs.  
  
Dream doesn't respond. He only takes back his bag and places it on his lap.  
  
_It's early, leave him alone, cut him some slack._  
  
Sapnap begins to drive the two to school. It was a peaceful ride, with slight tension. It only grew as they got closer to school. Sapnap knew Dream remembered he wanted to talk to him. Sapnap still wasn't sure what to say, or ask. Should he just not talk to him about it at all?  
  
-  
  
Dream shuts his door and walks over to Sapnap's side. Sapnap glares up at him from inside the car. Dream opens the door for him.  
  
"So, what is it?" Dream insists.  
  
"What's what?"  
  
_Quit being an idiot._  
  
"I-I thought you wanted to tell me something, or something, I don't know."  
  
Sapnap stares at him in confusion.  
  
"Oh," Sapnap finally says, "oh yeah, I just, I mean it wasn't anything serious, really."  
  
"It sounded serious?"  
  
"I was, I was just gonna ask something about, about," he hesitates.  
  
_Think of something, anything._  
  
"Just an idea, for, for a video."  
  
"A video?" Dream doesn't sound so persuaded.  
  
"Yeah, I-" he begins to walk towards the school, "Like, do you think there'd be a way to make it where I have your inventory and you have mine?"  
  
_You're such an idiot._  
  
Dream stops walking.  
  
"You, you wanted to talk to me, in _real_ life, to talk about coding something for a video?"  
  
Sapnap shrugs and nods, adds an awkward smile to go along with it.  
  
"That's what it was for?"  
  
"I mean, I mean yeah," Sapnap answers. "I haven't posted anything on my channel for a while."  
  
"I mean, I'm sure it's possible," Dream begins. "You, you wouldn't wanna do something else? Like, like, like I don't know."  
  
"It was just an idea. Not too sure how I feel about it yet."  
  
Dream stops at the stairs. Where they stopped at just the day before, and Dream panicked about Alex and Karl and the rest of the football team.  
  
~  
  
_'Is that Clay?'_ Alex called from beside Karl.  
  
Sapnap had stepped a bit in front of Dream, and stared Alex down. A death stare, if you will.  
  
" _Ohhh,_ honk off Quack-Meista!" Karl chimed, trying to drag the attention towards himself. What a stupid name Alex had earned after getting chased by a flock of ducks one morning during practice.  
  
"Poor Alex. A shame Karl chose me over you, a win, in my situation," Sapnap played along.  
  
Alex had pulled Sapnap into a whisper.  
  
' _How's your friend_ _,_ ' he bothered. Sapnap pulled away and stared at him once more.  
  
' _Fuck. Off._ ' Sapnap had pierced through gritted teeth.  
  
He made his face calm again, trying not to alarm the nervous wreck beside him.  
  
"See you guys later," Sapnap waved, keeping eye contact with Alex.  
  
~  
  
They walked up the stairs anyway. Dream didn't seem to be bothered, or remember the situation at all from yesterday.  
  
Luckily, their lockers were close to each other. Sapnap was always grateful for that. He didn't have to worry if the guys were bothering Dream in the mornings. The bell rang just as Sapnap was putting his last book into his backpack.  
  
"Lunch?" Sapnap offered to meet.  
  
"Yeah, sure."  
  
"Want me to walk you?" Sapnap asked timidly.  
  
"Please."  
  
Sapnap nodded and began the walk.  
  
-  
  
The rest of the day seemed to go pretty smoothly. In between classes when Sapnap would see Dream in the halls, he didn't look bothered. He did seem really deep in thought though. Was he still thinking of this morning?  
  
It was lunch now, and Sapnap chose to sit on the side facing where Alex and Karl had been the day prior.  
  
"Today's going fast," Sapnap says, breaking the silence.  
  
"Yeah, well, it's Wednesday," Dream replies, as if it was obvious.  
  
Wednesday's were days school got out early.  
  
The group didn't seem to be here today, which only proved Sapnap's hunch that they were only here yesterday to taunt him.  
  
~  
  
He had walked over to the table, leaving Dream completely vulnerable and alone.  
  
_He'll be fine_ , he thought to himself, and really hoped he would be.  
  
' _Jesus Christ, give me some space, will you?_ ' he demanded, shoving the swarm of thirsty eyed mutts beside him.  
  
' _What do you want from him?_ ' Sapnap asked, genuinely.  
  
' _You just don't believe us, do you? Your friend's with that little thing and you can't even ask a simple question? Why do you think you're holding yourself back, Nick?_ ' Alex had answered.  
  
Sapnap had wondered why these guys were _so_ obsessed over Dream's business. By the way Alex called him, 'little thing', the only conclusion was that he was jealous. Of what? They've never been there for Sapnap, and the only time they've ever connected was on the field. He pushed himself away from them for being the dick's they were.  
  
' _Look at him now,_ ' Karl had redirected. Sapnap had refused at first, but the urge to look grew over him after Karl had gasped a whisper of ' _Oh my God_.'  
  
When he looked over his shoulder, Dream was placing his hand in a boy's hand. What was his name? Sapnap had seen him somewhere, where? What was his name, what was his name...?  
  
_'I doubt you can explain that_ ,' Alex picked on.  
  
Sapnap had glared at him and yanked his arm to talk to him on the side.  
  
' _Why, are you guys so obsessed over this?_ '  
  
' _Because, he's gay._ '  
  
' _What's your point? Lots of people are gay._ '  
  
' _He's gay, and he's friends with you._ '  
  
That sentence sunk deep in Sapnap's chest. What was he trying to get at?  
  
' _I'll tell you what,_ ' Alex began to barter, ' _hang out with us a little more, and we'll leave him alone._ '  
  
Sapnap's breathes had gotten heavier and heavier.  
  
' _For how long?_ ' he pushed out of hisself.  
  
' _As long as we want._ '  
  
Sapnap had wiped his mouth and looked down. This shit was all because Alex was jealous?  
  
' _But when you're not here,_ ' Sapnap chipped in, ' _I get to be with him._ '  
  
' _Deal,_ ' Alex had shook his hand and grinned. ' _Now come on,_ ' he guided toward the doors as the bell rang, ' _we got somewhere to be._ '  
  
~  
  
' _George,_ ' Sapnap whispered to himself.  
  
"What?" Dream exhaled.  
  
Sapnap's eyes widened. Maybe it wasn't as to himself as he thought. He attempted to stare in confusion.  
  
"What'd you just say?" Dream repeated.  
  
"Nothing?" Sapnap answered, in attempt to make his friend feel like he was hearing things. It was rude, Sapnap knows, but what else could he do?  
  
"O-oh." It worked.  
  
"This might be random," Sapnap started, the words rushing out before he could think, "but you know you can talk to me, right? We're best friends, and I-I can see something's been bothering you for a while."  
  
Dream stares up at him, and his eyes begin to water. Sapnap gets up and places himself by Dream's side.  
  
"You wanna talk about it later?"  
  
Dream nods, not looking up from his food.  
  
_Well now you've done it._  
  
Sapnap places an arm around his friend and bumps his head against Dream's.  
  
"Oops," Sapnap chuckles.  
  
Dream chuckles a bit too and wipes a stray tear from his cheek. The bell rings and the two are forced to separate. They get up and Sapnap stops as Dream's body stills.  
  
In one swift movement Dream hugs him, not like any other time they've hugged before. Sapnap freezes and is unsure what to do with his arms before he pulls Dream in too.  
  
"Thank you, Sapnap," Dream says, squeezing him tighter.  
  
Pulling away, he continues, "Oh, sorry, I-I didn't mean to call-"  
  
"You're okay," Sapnap smiles. Dream smiles back.  
  
"Want me to walk you?"  
  
Dream nods and they both head out the cafeteria doors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was kinda a shit chapter BUT I PROMISE THE NEXT ONE WILL BE BETTER and just a reminder that quackity and karl aren't homophobic in real life, it's fiction and it's not real, okay? :) thank you for reading, aand yeah :D <3


	5. George

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He'd gone over that moment again and again. Constantly in his mind on repeat. That night of the party when their lips collided and George felt all his problems flush away. 
> 
> In that moment his phone buzzes and he lifts it to his face. 
> 
> Holy shit. 
> 
> It's Clay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter's way shorter than the other's, not on purpose. well, maybe on purpose because george has too much pretty privilege /j but i hope you like this one :)

"George!" someone calls from behind.  
  
George turns to be face to face with them.  
  
"Hey Clay!" George greets with a smile.  
  
Clay gives him a hurt look.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
Clay laughs as his look grows grim.  
  
"Clay?"  
  
"So what, this is how it's gonna be?" Clay finally says.  
  
"What're you talking ab-"  
  
"'What're you talking about', you know _exactly_ , what I'm talking about George!"  
  
George worries as more heads turn their way.  
  
"Clay, _please_ , you're going to cause a scene."  
  
"More of a scene than that night in the restroom? Or-or more of a scene than yesterday?" Clay voices in a low tone. His face close to George's.  
  
George sighs. His face grows hot and his legs become loose.  
  
"What's this about?"  
  
"You!" Clay emphasizes, "You! This is about you, it's always about you. It's about you and your _stupid_ lies!"  
  
Silence sits between them uncomfortably. What's George supposed to say?  
  
"Why did you kiss me that night of the party?" Clay whispers eagerly.  
  
"I-" George is barely able to push out.  
  
_So this is it, huh? Gonna get outted by Clay._  
  
"Clay, what did you expect? I-It was a party, it was loud, you saw the condition I was in when I walked into that restroom, I was drunk!"  
  
Clay gives him the same hurt look he did when they first began to speak.  
  
" _You were drunk?_ " he asks, as if putting the pieces together.  
  
"Yes! I was drunk, I-I didn't know what I was doing that night."  
  
"You were drunk?" Clay confirms again.  
  
" _Yes,_ " George pushes.  
  
Clay scoffs.  
  
"And what about yesterday?"  
  
_Shit._  
  
"I-I didn't wanna embarrass you."  
  
_Good save._  
  
Clay shakes his head and his eyes begin to water.  
  
"So what, this whole time I've been wishing you were straight for no reason?"  
  
"What? I am straight?"  
  
_You're only digging yourself deeper, George._  
  
"No, yeah, that's my point, George," Clay spits. He explains after George passes him a confused look.  
  
"Try being in my shoes," he quivers. "Since Saturday, I've practically just been _wishing_ you were straight. What? You- we just kiss one night and never spesk of it ever again?"  
  
As Clay's face streams with tears, a couple fall down George's cheek. Did it really mean that much to him?  
  
"What I'm trying to say George," Clay continues, "is, I'm glad, you're straight. Now I have a reason of why you don't like me the way I find an attraction to you."  
  
George's face grows hot. He feels everyone is watching by now. But when he looks around, everyone is just moving, not paying attention to the two boys in the middle of it all. George stays silent, and the itching urge to speak claws at him. What should he say?  
  
"Clay, I-"  
  
"Just-" Clay brings his hand up dismissively. George understands. Clay doesn't want anymore out of him.  
  
He can't bare the thought of losing Clay as a friend. Were they ever friends? George didn't really know Clay that well in all honesty. Of course, over English assignments and late night calls, he had talked to him before. He just never brought into consideration that Clay would _like_ him.  
  
As George watches Clay walk away, his hands form to fists, and his mouth stiffens.  
  
_Why do you always make such stupid ass decisions?_  
  
There's nothing more he can do than go home. Was rethinking that scene an option? George never would've thought Clay would be the type to confront him. Not that he thought there would be need for confrontation.  
  
-  
  
When he gets home, his backpack comes loose from his hands as he rushes through the door of his room.  
  
"George, are you alright sweetheart?" his mom calls from downstairs.  
  
"Yeah, I just, my bag came loose," he calls, barely loud enough for her to hear.  
  
She walks through the door in her scrubs, and perfectly curled hair.  
  
"I'll be leaving for work soon," she informs.  
  
George only nods.  
  
"Are you okay?" she speaks again.  
  
"I have quite a bit of homework," he lies, "I'll be fine here."  
  
"George," she says firmly.  
  
He brings his gaze up to her nude shadowed eyes and pink tinted lip gloss.  
  
"I know it's been rough recently," she sighs, "and I promise, I'm doing my best."  
  
"Mum, it's not you," George admits.  
  
"Then _talk to_ _me_. Tell me what's going on! I want to listen to my boy, I want to be here for you. _Jesus Christ,_ we've been so distant lately, George. I don't want to lose my son."  
  
George's eyes water and he brings his palms to them. With quiet sobs his mother encloses him with her arms and leans her head to his.  
  
"I'm sorry," he sobs.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
He sniffs before answering, and wipes away stray tear.  
  
"I don't mean to be rude," he answers genuinely, "but I think this is something I need to do on my own."  
  
Her eyes widen before she calms her face again.  
  
"I understand," she nods. "If you need something you tell me, okay?" she pokes.  
  
"I will."  
  
-  
  
After she leaves for work, George is sat alone in his home, wondering, where did Clay's sudden burst of anger come from? Not that he didn't have a right to be upset, it was just a surprise.  
  
He'd gone over that moment again and again. Constantly in his mind on repeat. That night of the party when their lips collided and George felt all his problems flush away.  
  
In that moment his phone buzzes and he lifts it to his face.  
  
_Holy shit._  
  
It's Clay. He deep inhales and stares at the phone a little longer.  
  
"Hello?" he answers after accepting the call.  
  
"You weren't drunk that night of the party," Clay snaps.  
  
George nervously chuckles before he answers, "W-what?"  
  
"You even said so yourself. 'I don't like to drink much.'"  
  
George winces at his own words.  
  
"You don't drink," Clay continues, "you don't like to drink, I would've believed you if you said you misspoke, but you agreed with 'drunk', every single time."  
  
George allows him to rant on.  
  
"That's what that thing was on your dresser that day I went to your house. Like some ash thing you use to put out your cigarettes. You don't drink George, you smoke."  
  
At a loss for words, George stays silent before coming up with the worst answer possible.  
  
"Yeah," he starts, "yeah, okay, you, you got me."  
  
"Why didn't you just tell me?"  
  
"I- yeah, okay, maybe I wasn't drunk, okay. I wasn't, I wasn't drunk. That still doesn't mean I knew exactly what I was doing, Clay."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I-I didn't even know if _you_ were gay! That-that night, at the party? Me going in to kiss you was an experiment, I didn't know you were going to say yes."  
  
"An experiment for _what!?_ " Clay exclaims. His voice floods George's ear and he pushes back the phone a little.  
  
There was silence for a long while. George didn't mind it. Clay has every right to be mad. George can't even imagine what he's thinking of.  
  
"A-are you? Gay?" George asks, ignoring the question, but breaking the silence.  
  
"I-I don't know George," Clay stammers. "I don't know."  
  
"That's okay," George assures.  
  
With those words he feels the call fall calm.  
  
"Are you?"  
  
"Well I definitely like boys," George giggles. "I like you."  
  
"I do too," Clay replies. Panic grows in his voice when he exclaims, "Like boys I mean! I-I mean, I like you too, but, but I don't really know you, all that well. I liked our kiss though."  
  
"I did too," George answers with a smile.  
  
"I know you're a good person Clay. You're genuine, and kind, and beautiful."  
  
"Yeah? W-What're you trying to get at right now?"  
  
George bows his head and lightly laughs.  
  
"I'm saying, if there were a world where being gay didn't make us abnormal, I'd kiss you in front of everyone, everyone in the entire world's eyes, just on us."  
  
There was nothing on the other side of the line. This didn't bother George, though.  
  
_It's his nerves, he doesn't know what to say._  
  
"Yeah?" Clay asks.  
  
"Yeah," George confirms.  
  
"If I would've known the last time I would hold you would be that night in the bathroom, I would've never let go."  
  
This brought tears to George's eyes. Why was being gay such a big deal, anyway? Why was everyone else's opinion able to impact the way he felt for Clay?  
  
"I just have one question, but, you don't have to answer if you don't want to," Clay speaks again.  
  
"Of course," George insists.  
  
"What about yesterday? Why didn't you kiss me then?"  
  
"Pure panic," George admits with a sigh. "I-I didn't know if what was happening was actually happening and I didn't brace myself when it actually was."  
  
"Sorry," Clay mutters.  
  
" _I'm_ sorry, Clay. I shouldn't have lied to you, at all, in the first place."  
  
"We're just different."  
  
"Yeah, different," George repeats.  
  
"You deserve someone to love you, Clay. Someone who you wouldn't be judged with, someone you can be yourself with. You deserve someone honest. You don't deserve me."  
  
Clay's silence was unreadable, as was the tone falling within the call.  
  
"I only really felt like myself with you," Clay mumbles.  
  
Tears stream down George's face.  
  
"People like us aren't wanted Clay."  
  
"But I want you."  
  
"Clay-"  
  
"George, I haven't felt like this, ever."  
  
"Neither have I."  
  
" _Fuck them_ ," Clay whispers into the phone.  
  
George chuckles.  
  
"Maybe, huh?"  
  
"I'm serious, George, what have they ever given us, anyway?"  
  
George's thoughts swallow him whole as an impossible imagination of him and Clay forms in his mind.  
  
Was it impossible?  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i forgot to say this is george's perspective if that wasn't clear. this takes place after school of last chapter. it's all bouncing around, i know, sorry. it'll go back to normal next chapter :)


	6. Young and Naïve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And this was true, just a couple of high school kids who have no idea what they're doing. No sort of direction, no sense of what to do, simply living. Being naïve, and hoping they always make great choices, barely ever wondering how it would affect the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dream's perspective again :) it'll stay this way, no more figuring out when was what and what somebody's trying to remember.

"Come with me," George whispers through the phone.

"W-What?" Dream lightly laughs. Of course joking about future expectations tends to happen, but George didn't sound like he was kidding.

" _C'mon,_ Clay," George whines.

With those two words, Dream hears it. The way his name rolls off of George's tongue, through his teeth and out his lips, he was being serious.

"What do you mean?" Dream asks, not fully understanding the concept of what George is trying to tell him.

"Let's get out of here."

"Like, what, leave the city?"

"The entire state, if we need to, I want to be with you."

Dream's cheeks flush and he sits on his bed before he just about faints. He's already getting a little lightheaded thinking of it. He wants to take the offer up so bad, take it in his grasp and stay with George forever, but he can't. 

"George, we can't do that," he protests, " _I_ , can't do that. What about my mom, and my sister, and Nick, my cat Patches, I can't leave them. Where would we even go?"

"What can I do, Clay?" George eagerly asks.

"For what? You don't need to do anything, George, we can stay here perfectly fine."

"Without being noticed? Wouldn't you be embarrassed kissing a boy?"

"I-," Dream stops. The thought of having George to himself would be wonderful. Every aching pain in his body would be soothed with George by his side. In all fairness, just his voice almost made him pass out.

"Would you be embarrassed kissing a boy?

"Not if that boy was you," George says sweetly.

"I would hope it's me."

George's giggle can be heard from the opposite end of the line. 

"I'll tell you what," Dream begins to propose, "We can meet up privately, just you and me."

"What if we see someone from school?"

"Then we'll just act as friends."

"Friends," George repeats sadly. 

Dream didn't like the thought of having to act as friends, when all he's wanted was to be with him. To hold him again, claim him as his own, kiss his soft lips with no hesitation.

"I-I don't think you're understanding the point, Clay," George says, disappointment in the tone.

"Explain it to me," Dream offers.

"I don't want you to have to hide the person you are," George begins. "You can't be yourself with me, we can't be ourselves here."

"Who says?" Dream asks with a smirk.

"You're unbelievable."

"I've been told."

George scoffs light heartedly. 

"What has anyone ever done for us, George?" Dream begins again. "If S-"

_Oops._

"If _Nick_ doesn't want to be my friends after finding out I'm a packet of fruit punch, that'll only shed the true colors, right?" Dream tries to convince.

"And your mum?" George asks.

God, Dream loved his stupid accent.

"I'm her kid, George. What a waste of time and energy it'd be if she didn't love me regardless. She's happy with who I am, I know she is."

"And your father?"

_Was kinda hopin' you didn't ask that, Georgie._

"He's been out the picture for a while."

"Oh," George's frown was able to be heard.

"What about you, and your mom?" Clay asks, moving on.

"I-I don't know, actually," George peaks. "I don't think she'd be mad, or disown me of any way."

And with that the call fell mute. Comfortable silence settled in Dream's ears and he was only able to think of what he'd tell his mom. What he'd tell Sapnap. Maybe Patches knows already, pets know everything. He inhales again before interrupting the quiet.

"Are we only talking about it to imagine it or talking about it to bring it to life?"

George giggles again. Oh, how indescribably _cute_ it was. The euphoric sound rang through Dream's ears, traveling to the corners of his own mouth, making them lift. 

"The way I'd risk everything for you is so dangerous," George teases. 

Dream hums, "Well, I wouldn't say I'd risk _everything_ for you."

"You're an idiot," George cackles.

"So, what do you wanna do?"

"I just wanna be _yours_ , Clay. If you're not ready now, I'll be 30 waiting until you are."

_Mine._

"Well," Dream thinks, "how about we get to know each other better."

"Better?"

"Well, what, just cause we're gay doesn't mean I know everything about you."

"Well, I'm just saying, was the assignment not enough for you?"

"We both _bullshit_ that entire assignment, George!" Dream laughs.

It's like an echo, when Dream hears George laughing along. He liked making George laugh, especially when it came naturally.

"Alright, then, what, how do we start?" George asks after catching his breath.

"Hmm..." Dream wanders off, bringing a finger to his chin tapping rhythmically.

"I'll go," George volunteers, "what's a secret of yours?"

Dream's stomach drops. Should he tell George about his channel? The videos he makes, the long hours he goes live, the fans he has. 

"I," no, he can't, "I still sleep with my baby blanket."

"Really?" George asks in shock.

"Oh, I doubt your secret's any better."

"I-" George stops, gathers his breath, and with one exhale, releases something he never thought would come out of his mouth. "I make videos."

"Really?" Dream asks.

"Really."

"Like, for YouTube and stuff?"

"...yeah."

"I do too!" Surely this was fine, right?

"Wait, what, really?"

"Really!"

"What do you play?"

"Minecraft," Dream answers, and cringes at his word. 

"I do too!"

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah, I know it's like a kid's game, or whatever-"

"We're kids, George," Dream reminds. 

And this was true, just a couple of high school kids who have _no_ idea what they're doing. No sort of direction, no sense of what to do, simply living. Being naïve, and hoping they always make great choices, barely ever wondering how it would affect the future.

-

"I don't know if I can stay up much longer," Dream yawns, rubbing his eyes.

"I'm fading in and out of sleep," George barely whispers.

Dream like his sleepy voice, it's cute.

"George?" Dream asks, after seconds of admiring.

"Yes?"

"That night we did they assignment, you called me even though I told you I'd be busy," Dream points out.

"I did," George lazily agrees.

"Why?"

"You ignored me in English, I didn't know if I had done something wrong. Why did you ignore me that day?"

Prickling sensation is sent down Dream's body.

_The dream, the dream, that's the night you had the dream._

"Well," _think of something,_ "I don't remember, to be honest."

It's obvious George doesn't buy the lie when he answers, "Was it because of the Saturday?"

"Kind of," Dream lies. It wasn't a lie, really, just a stretched thought. 

"I'm sorry I got us into this," George says. 

"Well look where it's got us," Dream smiles. 

"We should go to bed."

"In a minute, I like talking with you."

Dream tries to match George's breathing from through the call. 

"Do you think you're gonna wanna tell your mom?" George clears.

"I do plan on it," Dream answers. 

For a long while he had forgotten about his mom. His mom, his sister, Sapnap. Not Patches, since she was laying right there with him. Good God, what would he tell them?

"Goodnight, Clay," George yawns through the phone. 

"I love you, George," he answers, and his face grows hot. "I-I meant goodnight, I-I, I hope-"

"I love you too Clay," George comforts. 

A smile spreads ear to ear on Dream's face. 

"Sleep well."

He hangs up and places his phone on the charger before laying on his back. 

_I love you?_

He didn't not mean the three words. He did love George. He would accept him for his flaws and mistakes, and love them as much as he already loves his beauty. On his bad days, and his good days. Every inch of him Dream would take in and love him, never taking him for granted. They were practically risking everything if they both followed through with this. Coming out to a world of judgment and disgust. Dream would risk it all for George in a heartbeat, and that's exactly what he was going to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another short chapter. thank you for reading :D i hope you enjoyed!


	7. Perfect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, this is where I wanna be.

The next morning when Dream woke up, he laid in bed for a while, replaying his call from last night. Did it actually happen? He grabbed his phone from the dresser where he left it, navigating his way to the recent calls.   
  
Before he did, a message appeared at the top of his screen.   
  
_Good morning handsome <3_   
  
From George. Dream grew hot and rolled over to the opposite side of his bed, cuddling Patches into the blanket with him, and his smile growing by the second.   
  
_good morning <3_   
  
The way George's text made him feel was like no other, given the fact he didn't really text anyone. Besides that point, it had him smiling like an idiot.   
  
_Bikes today?_   
  
_if that's what you wanna do_   
  
Last night's call definitely happened. Nothing he daydreamed, nothing he dreamt about, nothing he imagined. Nothing he made up in his mind.   
  
_Okay :)_   
  
_see you soon_   
  
He made his way to the bathroom to take a quick shower, brush his teeth, do his hair. Oh, gosh, what will he tell his mom? What will he tell Sapnap?   
  
\-   
  
"Will Nick be able to pick you up, Clay?" his mom asks as he walks inside the kitchen.   
  
"I was actually wondering if I could ride my bike, with my friend George."   
  
"What happened to Nick?"   
  
"H-He's okay, mom," he lightly laughs, "we're still friends."   
  
"Okay, who's George?"   
  
He holds his own hands and rubs them together, trying to absorb his own sweat.   
  
"I work with him, sometimes, in my English class."   
  
"The one's house you went to?"   
  
"Yeah, yeah, that one."   
  
"Okay, be safe okay?"   
  
"I will, mom," Dream smiles.   
  
He locks eyes with his sister who's sat beside him.   
  
"Who are you actually riding with?" she whispers.   
  
Dream chuckles and bows his head.   
  
"Who I said I was going with."   
  
She narrows her eyebrows in disbelief. Dream only shrugs, forking his eggs and bringing them to his mouth.   
  
\-   
  
"Ready?" George asks, lowering his feet from the pedals and stopping in Dream's drive way.   
  
"Think so," Dream answers, positioning himself on his own bike. "Bye mom, love you!"   
  
She waves, and the two make their way down the street.   
  
"What a 'mommas boy', huh?" George teases.   
  
Dream scoffs and rolls his eyes.   
  
"Race you!"   
  
He starts to pedal faster, not even paying attention to the boy behind him. Until he passed him way up, that was. He's thought it before and he'll think it again:   
  
_He's so pretty._   
  
The way his hair flowed through the wind and his shirt fluttered through the air. Giving little to no effort in pushing his way to the stop sign.   
  
"You could've given me a better challenge," George taunts.   
  
"Dating me will be enough," Dream smirks.   
  
"So we're dating?"   
  
It didn't occur to Dream that they didn't really talk about being in a relationship. They've just flirted with each other, and told each other they loved the other.   
  
"We don't have to."   
  
"I'd like that, actually."   
  
"I would hope you would," Dream smiles to him, gripping the brake and pressing the crosswalk.   
  
\-   
  
At school, Dream notices Sapnap's car isn't in its unspoken desihnated spot. It's empty.   
  
_"Oh, shit,"_ he accidentally thinks aloud.   
  
He didn't tell Sapnap he wouldn't need a ride.   
  
"What happened?" George asks, locking his bike to the metal bar in front of school.   
  
"Nothing," Dream lies. He drags his eyes away from the parking spot. Hopefully he wouldn't be mad. He would have to tell him during lunch. He would also have to tell him he was gay.   
  
_How the hell am I supposed to do that?_   
  
He wouldn't have to worry about that now. But if he didn't worry about it now, he would only panic about it later. He didn't want to worry about it now because George was at his side. If he panicked about it later Nick wouldn't know what to do.   
  
\-   
  
"Watch this documentary and work with your partner to answer the questions on the worksheet," the teacher announces. She hands Dream and George a paper as she passes by them.   
  
"My place?" George suggests.   
  
"Definitely," Dream agrees.   
  
It felt nice not feeling the need to ignore George. It felt nice knowing they were together. It didn't feel nice that he wasn't comfortable yet to reveal they were together. It did feel nice knowing they wouldn't care once they got used to it. Not caring about the people who never cared for them.   
  
\-   
  
"Why didn't you call me this morning, dude?" Sapnap asks over the lunch table. "Or text me, or _something._ "   
  
Dream shakes his head and chugs the cartoned milk.   
  
"I forgot," he shrugs, not making eye contact.   
  
Sapnap lightly punches the table.   
  
"Sapnap-" Dream shrinks, " _Nick..._ "   
  
Sapnap meets his eyes.   
  
"What?"   
  
Before Dream does anything, he searches around the cafeteria for the football team. None of them seemed to be there. None that he noticed, anyway. If someone from the group saw what was about to happen, he'd definitely be dead.   
  
"Do you think you see any of the team in here?" Dream lowly asks.   
  
Sapnap also scans the room, observing the different faces in each table thoroughly. He shakes his head.   
  
"I've...I've been wanting to tell you something, fkr a while, now," Dream begins.   
  
Sapnap's eyes grow wide.   
  
"I-" Dream is stopped by Sapnap's palm over his mouth. He then brings his hand to his own mouth, placing a finger over.   
  
"I know," he confesses.   
  
"What?"   
  
Sapnap looks over Dream's shoulder to George. He twitches his head, signaling for him to come sit. Dream looks behind himself, locking eyes with George. He does the same motion, and George stands up to sit next to Dream.   
  
They lace hands under the table, hiding them by colliding their own bodies. Dream stay ducking his head, eyes only meeting the edge of the table.   
  
Sapnap reaches for his forearm.   
  
"I know," he assures. He sighs and does back and forth motions.   
  
"How?" Dream winces.   
  
"I didn't for a while, I was just assuming. But then you were kind of secretive and, and I dunno."   
  
Dream nods, not fully understanding, just taking in the words.   
  
"This is George," Dream introduces.   
  
When he looks to him, he barely smiles and ducks his head.   
  
"Hi," Sapnap shyly greets.   
  
George bobs his head. Dream shakes his hand still looking to him. They meet each other again and Dream gives him a reassuring look. An, 'it's okay'.   
  
"Hi," George repeats.   
  
"He makes videos," Dream whispers.   
  
George squeezes his hand and Dream places his other over both, still looking at Sapnap.   
  
"Really?" Sapnap asks, intrigued.   
  
"Really," Dream lightly laughs.   
  
"What the hell, Clay," George whispers to him.   
  
"We do too," Sapnap confesses.   
  
Dream looks to George as his eyes soften.   
  
"Really?" George asks, confused.   
  
Dream nods.   
  
"Why didn't you tell me?"   
  
"You didn't tell him?" Sapnap chuckles.   
  
"I didn't know if you would want me to," Dream laughs along. "I was going to eventually."   
  
"Eventually!" George softly exclaims, dramatically raising his hands in the air and rolling his eyes.   
  
They all giggle and chat through the lunch period.   
  
"He'd make a good addition to the team," Sapnap sings in Dream's ear after the bell rings.   
  
Dream looks to him, surprised, and raises his eyebrow.   
  
"You think so?"   
  
"If you'd wanna talk to him and ask him about it."   
  
Dream smiles to him and punches his arm.   
  
"You're being serious?" Dream asks, laughing his question away.   
  
"Yes, I'm being serious, what the hell," Sapnap punches back.   
  
Dream nods and agrees.   
  
"I'll talk to him about it later."   
  
They look to each other and nod, shadowing shoulders as they walk to their next period.   
  
"Thank you, Sapnap. For, _everything._ "   
  
Sapnap looks to the ground, failing to hide his smile.   
  
"I love you, Dream, you know that, right? I'll always be here for you."   
  
They stop in the middle of the hall, nobody paying any mind to them as they rush to their class.   
  
"I love you too, brother."   
  
"I'll meet you after school?" George interrupts, catching up to them after dismissing them in the cafeteria.   
  
"Yeah, your mom, right?" Dream asks nervously.   
  
George nods and softly smiles. The tension between the two not knowing if they want to show physical affection.   
  
Dream softly nods and they give each other a look. They only hug, not noticable for anyone to turn heads.   
  
"See you later," George waves.   
  
Dream lovingly waves his hand.   
  
" _His mom?_ " Sapnap teases once George is out of view.   
  
" _Shut up,_ " Dream punches.   
  
"Are you gonna tell your mom?"   
  
"I-I plan to."   
  
"' _Plan_ ' to," Sapnap repeats.   
  
Dream shrugs.   
  
"If you need anything call me, okay?"   
  
"Okay, I will."   
  
They shoo each other away and Dreams stomach loops. He's more than happy that went well. More than happy he didn't have to actually _tell_ him. More than happy he was accepted by his best friend.   
  
\-   
  
After school, he met George who was sat in the front of the office on the stone bench.   
  
"How terribly uncomfortable these benches are," George whined.   
  
Dream laughed, tucking his fists deeper into his jacket's pockets.   
  
"You sure you want to do this, right?" Dream asks, sitting next to George.   
  
George only nods to him with a sweet smile. He looks back down to the book he was reading. Dream looks over his shoulder and rests his head lightly on it, reading with him. Not reading really, just looking at the pictures.   
  
"That's you," George points, to one of the monkey's on the page.   
  
Dream scans the paper, looking for a better photo.   
  
"That's _you_ ," and he points to a vulture.   
  
" _That's_ you," and George points to a rhino.   
  
They do this for a while before George's mom pulls into the drop off section.   
  
"That's her," George deep inhales, and offers his hand to Dream.   
  
He takes it, and they walk to the edge of the sidewalk. Dream would let George do the talking.   
  
"Hey, Georgie," his mom greets nervously. "Hi, honey, who are you?" and she looks to Dream.   
  
"This, is Clay," George answers for him.   
  
Dream brings up his hand in a tiny wave.   
  
"We're- He's, he's my...boyfriend," George hollows.   
  
His mom's eyes widen and her grip on the steering wheel tightens.   
  
"You, you've never told me," she stalls, shocked.   
  
"Yeah, well, here he is."   
  
"Hi," Dream timidly greets.   
  
George's mom forces a smile and looks over the cars' door to witness their tied hands.   
  
They stand awkwardly for a moment, his mom still shocked and taking in the moment, probably rethinking if this really just happened.   
  
"Okay," she finally says, "Okay, well, Clay, sweetheart, it was nice meeting you. Maybe, maybe we can have a dinner sometime?"   
  
Dream looks to George. George gives him a questionable look.   
  
"Yes," Dream agrees, "that'd be nice. I'd like that, if you allowed me."   
  
She smiles, almost genuinely.   
  
"C'mon George," she gestures to the seat beside her.   
  
He releases his tight grip from Dream's hand and shakes it out a little. He smiles to Dream, and gives him a hug. The warm embrace trapping Dream with more euphoria than he could possess.   
  
"I'll see you later, okay?" George reminds, his accent thick in this sentence.   
  
Dream agrees.   
  
"It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Davidson," Dream waves.   
  
"It was nice to meet you too, honey."   
  
The trunk shuts after George placed his bike in. As he rounds his way to the passenger side, Dream steps back and waits for the car to drive off.   
  
He smiles and waves, waiting for the pressure to be lifted off his shoulders.  
  
  
 _That could've gone worse._   
  
"That could've gone worse," Sapnap teases.   
  
"You, you saw?" Dream chuckles.   
  
Sapnap nods. "That was weird."   
  
Dream sighs and makes his way back to the bench.   
  
"You want me to drive you home?" Sapnap offers.   
  
Dream shakes his head, declining.   
  
"I got my bike, I'll ride home."   
  
"You feel comfortable, being, out and about with him?"   
  
Dream nods.   
  
"You don't, like, fear the thought of anyone judging you?"   
  
"What the hell, Nick?"   
  
"Well, I'm just- I'm not saying _me_. I'm just, I don't want you to get hurt."   
  
"Here's how we see it," Dream begins, "Nobody has done jack shit for us, yeah?"   
  
Sapnap agrees.   
  
"I wouldn't care if anybody cared cause nobody pays attention to us, anyway."   
  
"That's valid," Sapnap comforts. "You sure you don't want me to drive you home?"   
  
"I'm okay," Dream assures.   
  
\-   
  
Dream's adrenaline rushed as he walked through the doorway of his home. The smell of noodles filled his nose.   
  
"Spaghetti?" Dream asks him mom from the kitchen.   
  
"Fettuccine," she corrects.   
  
He races up the stairs longing for Patches' warm cuddles.   
  
"Hey pretty," he greets. He scoops her up in his arms and nudges her head with his. She purrs lightly, rubbing her head against Dream's.   
  
\-   
  
"I'll be there shortly, okay?" George confirms.   
  
"Okay, I'll open the door."   
  
As he rushes down stairs, he sees his sister sat at the first step.   
  
"You okay?" Dream asks, placing his hand on her shoulder.   
  
"What are you doing, Clay?" she asks, well aware her brother is up to something.   
  
"It's good, I promise," is all he answers. Will it be good? What if his mom's reaction isn't what he thought it'd be? What if his own sister can't even look at him? What happens when the whole thing goes to absolute shit?   
  
Just then a car pulls into the driveway. He erases his thoughts from his mind.   
  
_Too late now._   
  
There's a knock at the door, and just in time, Dream move in front of his mom to open it.   
  
"I'll get it," he breathes.   
  
She slowly steps back, giving her son space to open the door wide. Dream hesitantly opens the door, waiting for the small figure to step inside. As he does, their hands brush each other and intertwine smoothly.   
  
"This is, uh," he clears his throat, "this is George."   
  
He watches as her eyes make their way to their laced hands.   
  
"We're," he can barely bring himself to speak the words that long to come out of his mouth. Finally, he's able to choke them out. "We're...together."   
  
Dream pulls his eyes away to find his sister peeking over their mother's shoulder, eyes wide, pink, and glossy.   
  
"Hi," his mom exhales, "hi, hi! How are you?"   
  
She opens out a hand for George to shake. He doesn't seem to get the message until Dream lightly pushes his arm. He then also reaches out, and softly tugs at the woman's arm.   
  
"I'm okay," George smiles, "nervous."   
  
"Hi!" the child exclaims from the back.   
  
"Hi!" George softly echoes.   
  
"Well, come, come sit! There's a special seat for you."   
  
There's been a seat at the dining table that's been empty for a long while now. So long that while the other chair's legs were wobbly and faded, this one's screws were tightly in place and the cushion was still plumped.   
  
They conversed throughout dinner, his mom including George in every conversation topic, getting him comfortable. Dream was sure she'd ask questions about him after he left.   
  
\-   
  
"Is it okay if we go to my room?" Dream asks, unsure of the boundaries his mother has.   
  
"Yeah, honey, go ahead," she answers. A surprise, on Dream's end.   
  
"Thank you, for dinner," George softens. Dream collects their plates and takes them to the sink to wash, with his lover following behind him like a shadow.   
  
"I can wash my own," George suggests.   
  
Dream only shakes his head, continuing to scrub the leftover sauce.   
  
"Come on," he leads, drying his hands after washing them.   
  
They make their way up the stairs to Dream's room. He opens the door for George to walk through.   
  
"So what do you think?" Dream offers.   
  
"I like the lights," George comments.   
  
The Christmas lights he never takes down.   
  
"Spirit."   
  
They lay together on the bed, back flat, staring at the ceiling.   
  
"What'd your mom say, after you left?" Dream asks, looking to George.   
  
George sighs and flutters his eyes.   
  
"Well, she wasn't disappointed," George persuades, "but she was definitely shocked."   
  
"Really?" Dream sarcastically remarks.   
  
"She was just really quiet. I think she wants to learn to accept it. Even when I asked if she could drop me off over here, she only nodded and grabbed her keys. Headed out the door, no words at all."   
  
"I'm sorry," Dream apologizes.   
  
"She'll get used to it."   
  
They sit in silence before George breaks it with his voice again.   
  
"Do you think your mum is only acting like that cause I'm here?"   
  
"Of course not, George," Dream protests, "Like I said, I'm her kid. I'm sure she likes you, too."   
  
"And your sister?"   
  
"I think she knows but she doesnt really understand."   
  
George nods. Dream laces their hands and brings George's knuckle to his mouth.   
  
"Do you think your mom was serious about dinner one day?"   
  
"Eventually," George sighs, "not sure if she's quite ready right now."   
  
Dream rolls to his side, bringing his hands to support the side of his face. George notices, since his fingers are twined with Dream's. He also rolls to his side, facing Dream. Like the day Dream went over.   
  
"Does your mom I went over that day? To watch the movie?"   
  
George's mouth tightens and he slowly disagrees.   
  
They stare a while into each other. Dream takes in all his features. George's lips look even smoother as close up as he his. He brings his thumb to lightly skim the surface of them. They curve up forming a smile.   
  
"You're pretty," Dream lovingly hums.   
  
George burries himself into Dream's shoulder. Dream wraps his arm around him, rubbing his back.   
  
"You know," Dream begins, "I-I was ignoring you on Monday cause I had a dream about you."   
  
"Really?" George interests, his head peeking up.   
  
Dream nods.   
  
"We were supposed to go your mom's house, and you woke me up to get ready."   
  
George kisses Dream's chin, since that's all he could reach.   
  
"And, I didn't wanna get up."   
  
"And then what happened?" George softly pushes.   
  
"We almost kissed," Dream explains, "but I woke up, for real, and I had to get ready for school."   
  
George hums.   
  
Dream could feel his heartbeat in his throat, mixing with George's.   
  
"Nick asks if you would want to stream with us sometime," Dream brings up.   
  
"Like, what- what? I can't do that."   
  
"Why can't you?"   
  
"You guys, I don't know, you probably have like a whole set up, or something, I don't know. I wouldn't want to mess you guys up," George excuses.   
  
"He says you'd be a good addition," Dream persuades. "I think you'd be, too."   
  
George nuzzles himself back into Dream.   
  
"We'll see. I'll think about it."   
  
They lay together, cuddles and warm breath, wrapped in the blankets from Dream's bed.   
  
"Where's your baby blanket?" George teases.   
  
Dream pulls it out from the corner of the bed. He places it on top of them.   
  
"So, what now?" Dream asks.   
  
"Now, we, just kinda live, I guess. I'm yours, and you're mine."   
  
"I wouldn't want it any other way."   
  
With that, the two fell asleep in each other's arms. The world seemed nonexistent at that point. He had the whole world right in front of him. He hoped to stay in this moment as long as he could.   
  
"I love you, Clay," George says, muffled by Dream's sweater.   
  
"I love you George," Dream repeats.   
  
He kisses his head, and before he knew it, George grasped onto the lining of his sweater. He tugged him in to meet his lips, and the two stay, tasting the candy flavored love.   
  
_Yeah, this is where I wanna be._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the end! :D i hope you liked it, i'll probably edit it throughout the time i have but yeah! ty for reading! <3


End file.
